News about reptiles and amphibians. This may be news from herpetologists, organizations, but also from private persons. Everyone is welcome to send me some news about the protection, abusing, mistreatment, discoveries, etc., of these fascinating animals .

woensdag 28 december 2011

$11,000 fines and costs for smuggling native reptiles

A 46-year-old man from New South
Wales has been fined $2000 and ordered to pay $9735 in court costs after
being convicted of illegally possessing 29 native reptiles.
Neil Andrew Simpson, 46, was apprehended at Perth Airport on April
25 last year after officers from the Department of Environment and
Conservation (DEC) intercepted the illegal consignment of reptiles which
had been flown to Perth from Newman and were scheduled to be put on a
flight to Sydney.

The consignment included a death adder,
geckos of various species, dragon lizards, a blue-tongue lizard and
pythons. The reptiles were concealed in plastic containers.

Simpson was convicted this week in the Perth Central Law Courts following a two-day trial.

PROTECTED:Rikki James Piromalli
pleaded guilty to possessing and keeping a South West carpet python in
captivity without authority. Picture: DECSource: PerthNow

There was also a second conviction in the Perth Magistrates Court this
week, when a 33-year-old Nollamara man was fined a total of $600 and
ordered to pay $110 in court costs for illegally keeping a 2m south-west
carpet python at his home.

Rikki James Piromalli pleaded guilty to possessing and keeping the
carpet python in captivity without authority. The snake is a specially
protected species in WA.

DEC prosecutions coordinator Gail
Ritchie said he was charged following a search warrant executed by WA
Police on his property in January this year.

Ms Ritchie said wildlife smuggling was an ongoing problem and removing protected fauna from the wild had serious implications.

“In the Piromalli case, the carpet python cannot be released in a
different location from where it was taken due to the possible effects
on the local gene pool of this species. It also poses a risk of
introducing disease to wild populations, but we will ensure that it is
appropriately cared for,” she said.

“Wild reptiles should be
allowed to remain in their natural habitat. DEC takes the unlawful
possession of protected reptiles and reptile trafficking very seriously,
and we will continue to investigate these matters.”

Under the
WA Wildlife Conservation Act the maximum penalty for taking or
possessing and keeping specially protected fauna is $4000.

Anyone who has information about the illegal removal of reptiles or
notices any suspicious activity suggesting that reptiles are being
illegally moved should call DEC's Wildcare hotline 9474 9055.